Supercharger air cleaner



July 26, 1932. R. E. LYFORD SUPERCHARGER AIR CLEANER Filed Feb. '7, 1930 Jill/672% r ioer l z yford Patented July 26; 1932 s'ra'res PATENT QFFEQE ROBERT E. LYFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY r mined path.

SUPERCHARGER AIR CLEANER Application filed February 7, 1930. Serial No. 426,574.

This invention relates to devices for circulating, cleaning, and compressing a gas. More particularly, it relates to a super-charger air cleaner for internal combustion engines.

The principal object of the invention is to move, clean, and compress one stream of gas by direct contact with another stream of gas at a comparatively high velocity without any substantial mixing of the two gases.

Another object is to carry the material removed from the gas being cleaned away in the high velocity gas stream. 7 I

A particular object is to apply the invention tointernal combustion engines and to utilize i the exhaust gas fromthe engine for cleaning and super-charging theair to be used for combustion.

Other objects will be apparent from the detailed-description to follow.

The objectsof the invention are accomplished by utilizing the property of a gas stream issuing through an opening from a chamber containing the gas under pressure to expand uniformly and to follow a predeter- The stream is passed through spaced,aligned openings of a sizeto accommodate the stream without interfering with the directional flow. A stream' of gas to be cleaned. is drawn into contact with the high velocity stream by an injector action and by surface friction with the high velocity stream.

Devices embodying the invention are so designed that the stream ofgas to be cleaned will be delivered against, the high velocity stream at an angle thereto, whereby the foreign particles suspended in said gas are thrown to the outer edge by centrifugal action and are entrained in the high velocity stream. The devices are so constructed that there is no substantial mixing of the two gas streams, and the gas being cleaned is delivered at a higher pressure than that at which it is admitted to the devices.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an air cleaner embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 3is a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the principle upon which the cleaner functions.

As shown in the drawing, the device is embodied in a unitary casing constructed in two sections to facilitate manufacture. An exhaust gas inlet 1 is adapted to communicate with an exhaust manifold of an engine, not shown. An air inlet 2 communicates with a source of air. The inlet 1 communicates with an exhaust gas supply conduit 3 in the easing. The air inlet 2 communicates with an air supply conduit 4 in the upper half of the casing. An exhaust outlet coupling 5 communicates with an exhaust discharge conduit 6 in the lower half of the casing. An air outlet coupling 7 communicates with an air discharge conduit 8 in the upper half of the cars mg.

The conduits 3, 4, 6 and 8 in the casing lie substantially parallel. The conduits 3 and 4 are circular in cross section and the discharge conduits 6 and 8 have a'particular cross section for purposes to be hereinafter defined. A flat, thin passage 9 is formed between the exhaust supply conduit 3 and the discharge conduit 6 by machining the intermediate section of the faces of the two casing sections. The. passage 10 adjacent the discharge conduit 6, as best shown in Figure 3, is considerably larger in the dimension at right angles to the flow path of the air therethrough as indicated by the arrows, than the portion 9 of said passage adjacent the sup ply conduit 3. Intermediate the ends of said passage a depressed section 11 is milled into the lower half of the casing. The upper half of the casing is also cut away to form a passage 12 communicating in a streamlike manner with the air discharge conduit 8. The depressed section 11 and the cut away portion of the upper half of the casing thereabove form a chamber larger in cross sectional area than the passages 9 and 10. A thin passage 13 extending the length of the air supply conduit 4 communicates with said conduit and with the passage 9 at the end of its narrow portion and adjacent the enlarged portion formed by the depression 11 and the throat 12.

In the operation of this device exhaust fillsthe passage lO'ivithOut having undue friction on the Walls of the passage 1(1) and vvithout'leaving' any substantial space between the stream and the Walls. Air to be cleaned is supplied through the conduit 4 at "substantially atmospheric pressure. The stream of gas issuing through the passage 9 has an injector action, which creates a depressicn through the passage 13, causing the air to fiow'therethrough. The stream of air issuing" through the passage 13 impinges against the stream of exhaust gas issuing through the passagei Due to the sharp turn of the airat this, point, the'heavier foreign particle'scarried in suspensionare thrown to the outer edge by centrifugal force and are entrained in the exhaust stream. Said particles are carried out Withthe exhaust gas.

through the condulitd. A pressure is built u in the throat 12 by the surface friction cit-he stream with the exhaust stream, and isthereby delivered to the conduits at a higher: p essure than that at which it is admitted through the conduit 4. This in effect amountstemper-chargin the air, and,

instead oflthe depression created by the con-' 1 ventionai cleaners-,this cleanerincre'ases the "ressnre on the crsuner-char es it 7 y .L b v resulting in increased maximumhorse power for the engine to which the air is being supplied; g v y I I Although my inventicnhas been illustrated and described aseinbodied in a device particuiarly adapted as an air cleaner for internal combustion engines, the device maybe utilized 7 Wherever found desirable for moving,' cleanin or compressing one gas by the action of; another gas available at a. high pressure. 7

'What is claimed is: v V v i 1. A device for 'cleaninga gas which compri es means for producing a fiatstr'eam of a cleaning gas at comparatively high velocity, means for directing affiatstream of the gas to be cleaned into contact" with said stream, and means for subsequently separating the paths of travel ofsaid gases thereby preventm substantialv mixing.

- 2. An air cleanerfor nternalcombustion engines vvhich comprises means for producing aflat stream of exhaustgas athigh velocity, means for directing a fiat stream of air into contact with said stream, and positwo means to subsequently maintain the air and exhaust gas streams in separate paths.

{3. A device for cleaning a gas which com prises means for producing a flat stream of 4. A super-charger air cleaner for inter-' nal combustion engines comprising a chamber means for directing exhaust therefrom through said chamber, means for introducing air to be cleaned to said chamber, and means for delivering air from said chamber, said exhaust directing means being adated to draw air intothe chamber and to de iver it therefrom at an increased pressure.

5. g In asuper-charger air cleaner for internal combustion engines, aychamber means to direct exhaust gas through said chamber in an expanding stream at a comparatively high velocity, thereby creating a depression area and'an area of increased pressure in said chamber, air inlet means to said chamber communicating with thearea of depression, and air outlet means communicating with the area of increased'pressure. v

7 61A device for cleaning and propelling one stream of gaseous fluid by direct contact with another stream of gaseous fluid Without substantial mixing thereof, comprising a chamben'inlet means for delivering gas at high velocity to the chamber through a wall thereof, outlet means'f'romsaid chamber for the gas at high velocity ofa cross sectional area greater th'anthe inlet andpositioned in a Wall directly oppositethe inlet,saidchamber being so proportioned as to surround the high velocity gas stream in spaced relation thereto, means fordelivering a lovvfpressure gas to the chamber at the inlet end of the high velocity gas stream, and outlet means for said gas adjacent the outlet end of the high pressure gas stream.

Intestimony hereofl afiix my signature.

' ROBERT E. LYFORD. 

